Spain's Leader Feels the Heat From Scandal

By ALAN RIDING, Special to The New York Times

Published: September 17, 1990

MADRID, Sept. 15—
For most of the time since he became Spain's Prime Minister in 1982, Felipe Gonzalez has been able to concentrate on the affairs of state in the confident knowledge that his chief deputy, Alfonso Guerra, was serving as his political bodyguard.

But this year, with a corruption scandal involving a brother of Mr. Guerra and mounting opposition to his strong-arm tactics within the governing party, the wily 50-year-old Deputy Prime Minister has suddenly become Mr. Gonzalez's main political liability.

Such is Mr. Guerra's power, however, that speculation over whether he will be forced to step down as No. 2 in both Government and party is tempered by another question: Can Mr. Gonzalez do without him?

Both natives of Seville, they began working together even before they gained control of the Socialist Workers' Party in 1973. Mr. Gonzalez was always the better known of the two, especially abroad. But working behind the scenes, Mr. Guerra was probably the more skilled political manager.

After the Socialists won office in 1982, opposition parties, quick to identity the wiry and bespectacled Mr. Guerra as a more vulnerable target than the handsome young Prime Minister, frequently accused him of trying to turn the Government bureaucracy into a party machine.

Opposition Weakness Exploited

But in the general elections of 1986 and 1989, as well as in many local elections, Mr. Guerra proved his usefulness by exploiting the weaknesses of the badly divided opposition and demonstrating repeatedly that a highly disciplined party was hard to beat.

Before last year's general elections, though, discontent within the party began to grow because some members felt not only that the Gonzalez administration had sacrificed its Socialist principles in favor of economic growth, but also that dissidence was being suffocated by Mr. Guerra.

When a scandal erupted in Seville in January over alleged influence-peddling by one of Mr. Guerra's younger brothers, Juan, there were therefore many people in the Socialist party as well as the opposition who were ready to jump as the chance of undermining the Deputy Prime Minister's power.

Although a judicial investigation into the considerable wealth of Juan Guerra has not been completed, no concrete evidence of his brother's involvement has surfaced. But keeping the scandal in the public eye almost daily, Spanish newspapers have challenged Alfonso Guerra's claims of innocence.

Government officials said that while anxious to show his loyalty to his friend and colleague, Mr. Gonzalez now regretted remarking earlier this year that if Mr. Guerra stepped down, he would follow suit. But they said the Prime Minister was all too aware of the political cost of the scandal.

Cabinet Ministers Complain

Within the Government and the party, the cost of sustaining Mr. Guerra has continued to grow, with several Cabinet ministers, including Economy Minister Carlos Solchaga and Culture Minister Jorge Semprun, complaining about the absence of democratic debate within the party.

Now, with the party due to hold a crucial congress here in mid-November, the power struggle among party leaders has become front-page news.

Several days ago, a battle erupted in Madrid when an ally of Mr. Guerra, Jose Acosta, challenged the party's longtime local leader, Joaquin Leguina, who was widely viewed as an independent thinker. Significantly, three Cabinet ministers immediately closed ranks with Mr. Leguina.

Some experts say Mr. Gonzalez fueled the warring within the party when he hinted last year that he might not run for a fourth term. Mr. Guerra has added to the confusion by leaking to some newspapers that he, too, may be ready to step down.

Yet while demanding greater democracy within the party, even some dissidents wonder if the solution is for Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Guerra to retire. To many Spaniards, Mr. Gonzalez remains the party's best electoral asset. And there is no one who has shown he can run a campaign more effectively than Mr. Guerra.